1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cleaning devices and more specifically it relates to a railroad flangeway cleaner system for efficiently clearing debris and other foreign material from a railroad flangeway or other similar channel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Cleaning devices have been in use for years. Typically, cleaning devices include many various apparatuses (i.e. brooms, shovels, automatic sweepers, etc.). Railroad flangeways are generally channels in-between the rails of the railroad track and the road. The flangeways are generally located where the road crosses the railroad tracks. These channels are generally of a small width (i.e. 2-3 inches) and small depth (i.e. 2-3 inches). Over time the flangeways can fill up with many types of debris (i.e. sand, snow, small rocks, etc.). Clogged flangeways can be a leading cause of train derailments, among other things.
Flangeways are generally too small to accommodate many types of automatic sweepers, which usually leave the flangeway to be cleaned out with a broom or other manually operated device. Cleaning the numerous flangeways out manually, with a broom or other manual operated device, can be very tedious. The cost of labor for cleaning the flangeways out can also be an overly expensive and unnecessary expense.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for efficiently clearing debris and other foreign material from a railroad flangeway or other similar channel. Cleaning out railroad flangeways with manually operated devices (i.e. broom, shovel, etc.) can be very time consuming and overall miserable work.
In these respects, the railroad flangeway cleaner system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of efficiently clearing debris and other foreign material from a railroad flangeway or other similar channel.